Bacon Cheddar Biscuit Waffles

Bacon Cheddar Biscuit Waffles

If that title doesn't sound like four words you want to eat, I'm not sure what does. 

As a relatively obsessed baker, many assume that I mainly eat sweets and that I would most definitely choose sweets over savory foods. 

While those assumptions are mostly true, there is an exception. Brunch is right below dessert on my list of favorite meals, and I generally prefer savory brunch foods. 

However, brunch menus often lead me to a state of moral conflict. How am I supposed to choose between a red velvet waffle and a smoked salmon benedict? I love red velvet...but usually the idea of a perfectly runny poached egg topped with hollandaise sauce wins this battle. 

I think this recipe is the perfect compromise to solve the dilemmas that many of us face at brunch. An epic waffle with bacon, cheese, and an egg leaves little to desire. You can even satisfy your sweet cravings by topping the waffle with honey or strawberry jam!

Keep reading to learn how you can make brunch the delicious, stress-free experience that it's meant to be. As a bonus, you won't even have to wait for an hour to be seated :-)

Greek Independence Cake: Honey Pistachio Bundt Cake

Greek Independence Cake: Honey Pistachio Bundt Cake

Happy Greek Independence Day!! A few weeks ago, my friend and coworker Myrsini and I were discussing the cinema masterpiece that is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. You may recall the hilarious scene when Ian's parents meet Toula's extended family and Ian's mom brings a bundt cake to the party. Toula's mom is confused, having never seen a bundt cake, and scoffs to another relative,"There's a hole in this cake!" After watching this scene, Myrsini and I decided to plan a Greek Day celebration at work. Mainly because I wanted an excuse to make a Greek-themed bundt cake and for Myrsini to cook delicious Greek food for me! Keep reading to learn how you too can make a delicious honey pistachio bundt cake to honor a wonderful movie, and an even more wonderful country!

Curried Sweet Potato Cookies

Curried Sweet Potato Cookies

This “real world” thing has thrown me lots of challenges: paying bills, waking up before 8 AM on a regular basis, being a new driver in a city with crazy traffic…and having to actually cook “real food”. Though, I’m always cool with cookies for breakfast, I usually feel a little guilty about having cookies for dinner. So, this baker's had lots of adventures and learning experiences with cooking. And I think I’m slowly mastering cooking one of my favorite types of food…Thai curry! So, I figured, why not combine two of my loves: curry AND cookies?

I often say that delicious + delicious = more delicious. And that definitely held true for this recipe. Keep reading for directions on making this tasty Thai-influenced treat!

Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies

Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies

As a baker, Valentine's Day is one of the best holidays for me. I'll use pretty much any excuse to bake: birthdays, Thursdays, 11:08 PM, whatever. Since I live by the title of this blog, these are all compelling reasons for me to bake. But Valentine's Day gives me slightly more legitimate reasons. Calories don't exist on February 14th! Everyone is down to eat red velvet and chocolate, and most don't feel guilty about it. And this means less guilt for me, a serial diet-ruiner. Also, I can hand out heart-shaped cookies and it's not weird...I think. And last and foremost, lots of people tend to be having a bad day on Valentine's Day. Maybe they don't have a Valentine. Or maybe they do. Or perhaps they spent nearly an hour de-icing their car in the morning, using a MARTA Breeze Card (oh, was that just me?). Whatever the reason, I love the opportunity to give people a reason to be happy. And like so many other times in life, the best reason to be happy on Valentine's Day is most certainly sugar. Along with  Red Velvet Cake Batter Fudge (not my recipe), I hope I made a few people's Valentine's Days a bit better this year with these tasty and super precious Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies! Here's how you can brighten some moods on Valentine's Day next year (or, let's be real, any day)!

Biscoff Cookies and Cream Fudge

Biscoff Cookies and Cream Fudge

You saw that title, didn't you? If your first thought was something along the lines of  "couldn't be bad" or "must have that now," I can assure you that you're right. Just as "Biscoff," "Cookies and Cream," and "Fudge" suggest, this is a delicious treat that you need in your life ASAP. And this post is here to help you make that happen.

Now, if you're thinking "fudge is too hard to make and I just can't," I promise that at least for this recipe, you are totally wrong. And while I'm making promises, I'll admit to you that this isn't "real" fudge. By no means did I stand over the stove with a candy thermometer, waiting for the mixture to reach soft ball stage. Ain't nobody got time for that. (Read: I have zero patience).    

I made this fudge in six simple steps, using four ingredients.

Don't believe me? If you keep reading, I see a delicious, fudgy treat in your near future :-) 

Pumpkin Spice Cookie Cups

Pumpkin Spice Cookie Cups

As far as seasons go, fall just might be the most delicious. I insisted that summer was my favorite season for the first 21 or so years of my life. However, as I approach old age, my July birthday becomes less of a reason for excitement and I am growing less tolerant of (read: highly annoyed by) the intense summer heat. I suspect that summer will continue to lose points in my book now that I have joined the dreaded “real world” and have likely seen the last of my summer breaks. Alas, fall wins over my foodie heart and gets extra points for college football and the option to press the “Off” button on the fan I’ve camped out beside all summer.

When I went to Target today, I was embarrassingly excited to see one of my favorite fall items, Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses. I immediately picked up a bag and spent the next few hours daydreaming about what I could bake with them. Folks, this is when you know you have a problem. Hi, my name is Dena and I’m addicted to baking. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Anyways, I decided to make one of my favorite recipes, Butterscotch Chai Cookies, and add my beloved Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses. Read on to see how I made these delicious treats that are also super cute…or as I prefer to say “totes presh.”

Biscoff Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Biscoff Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just a few short months ago I discovered the amazingness that is Biscoff spread, also known to some as Speculos. For those unfamiliar with Biscoff spread, you may have had Biscoff cookies, as they are commonly served on planes. The cookies taste somewhat like cinnamon graham crackers, and Biscoff spread is made to taste exactly like the cookies, except in a spread form with the consistency of peanut butter. Even though I am not wild about Biscoff cookies, I have been pretty obsessed with the spread ever since trying it. When I tell people about it, I describe it as "right up there with Nutella" which is a bold statement coming from me. Ever since discovering Biscoff spread, I have had fun trying to incorporate it into my baking, as like anything else so incredibly delicious, it goes well with just about anything. Here's how I incorporated it into an oatmeal cookie recipe:

Lauren’s Birthday Cake

Lauren’s Birthday Cake

Red Velvet Cake with Oreo Cream Cheese Filling, Biscoff Buttercream Icing, and Nutella Fudge

As April came to a close, I knew I faced a huge challenge. No, not final exams. Lauren’s birthday is April 29th. For anyone who doesn’t know, Lauren is my best friend and Co-WIDBer. As we were also nearing graduation, I knew I really had to make Lauren an incredible cake. Knowing many of Lauren’s favorite things, I made what I truly believe was the perfect cake for Lauren. Click the link below to see how I made this cake, and how you can recreate it! 

Emily's Birthday Cake

 

Emily’s Birthday Cake: A Kit Kat Cheesecake Brownie Layer and a Nutellla Cheesecake Brownie Layer with Cream Cheese Icing in between, covered in 3 Musketeers Fudge

 

In this post I will disclose the details of perhaps the most intense birthday cake I have made to date. When I asked my friend Emily about some of her favorite desserts and candies she gave me lots of ideas. So naturally I decided to use all of them in her cake. She listed off cheesecake, brownies, Kit Kats, and 3 Musketeers. At first I didn’t exactly know how I was going to incorporate all of these things into one cake. I thought of making cheesecake with a brownie crust, but then realized that might be difficult to layer with other things. I ultimately decided to make cheesecake brownie layers because I felt more confident that they would be structurally sound. Pretty quickly I knew I would make fudge with the 3 Musketeers because technically you can make fudge by melting together chocolate chips and marshmallows, so I knew a marshmallow-based candy would make a great fudge. And to make sure the cheesecake component stood out in the cake, I put cream cheese icing between the cheesecake brownie layers. Next I had to make sure the two cake layers were not the same, (because let’s face it, that would be unacceptable). So, I mixed Nutella into one and put Kit Kat pieces in the other. After lots of brainstorming, I ended up with a cake that was awesome, delicious, and super fun to make!

Here’s how you can make this cake!:

Zaid's Reese's and Kit Kat Birthday Cake

Zaid's Reese's and Kit Kat Birthday Cake

In making a birthday cake for my wonderful friend Zaid, I was faced with yet another new challenge. Zaid said his favorite candies were Reese’s and Kit Kats. I struggled with how I could make the best possible cake for him while still making it unique from the Reese’s cake I made for Lindsay and the cake I made for Rachel that was surrounded by Kit Kats. I also faced the challenge of being a little low on peanut butter when I was making this cake. I had plenty for the peanut butter blondies, but then only had about half a cup when I needed to make the icing, not to mention the fact that I had no powdered sugar. So, partially due to my efforts at uniqueness, and partially due to necessity, I ended up with a totally new cake that got the best reviews of any so far.

Thin Mint Brownies

Thin Mint Brownies
 

 

 



As you may or may not know, this is a very special season. Valentine's day? No. Lent? Um okay, but not what I'm getting at. The end of winter? Well yes, thank goodness, but not quite. The season to which I am referring is Girl Scout cookie season. Yes, this is the season during which, for only $3.50, you can buy a box of the chewy or crunchy deliciousness that only an adorable little girl with badges on her vest can sell to you. A long time ago, I too was a girl scout, and I love the fact that somehow me eating cookies can help such a worthwhile cause. (P.S. if you want cookies and don't know where to buy them, here's a link where you can enter your zip code and find a girl scout cookie sale near you! Girl Scout Cookie Locator )

Rachey’s Birthday Cake

Rachey’s Birthday Cake: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Icing, Kit Kats, and M&M's

As promised, here is another birthday cake post, and one in which I will actually be able to tell you how I made the cake. In my birthday cake consultations I ask my friends a variety of questions, two of which are always “What’s your favorite dessert?” and “What’s your favorite candy?” Following these steps, I usually decide to base my cake off of one of these answers. In the case of my dear friend Rachey, I based the cake off of both, and also added an extra surprise that I knew she would love. She said her favorite dessert was flourless chocolate cake and her favorite candies were Kit Kat bars and M&M's. As an avid Pinterester, I had seen a picture of a cake with Kit Kats around the outside and had been wanting to try doing that anyway. Though I had not made a flourless chocolate cake before, I knew that wouldn’t be a problem. I decided to use chocolate chip cookie dough icing, because Rachey and I share a love for chocolate chip cookie dough. Finally, I decided to top this epic cake off with M&M's. LOTS of M&M's. Shoutout to Lauren for helping me with the icing and decoration of this cake, her help is probably the reason the cake did not end up looking like a total mess :-) For more specifics on how you can recreate this masterpiece, along with process pictures, all you have to do is click the “Read More” button below!

Chocolate Amaretto Cookies

Chocolate Amaretto Cookies 

I began this baking adventure by asking myself, “What’s better than chocolate?” The answer, of course, is nothing. That is, except adding other delicious things to chocolate. So, after a thorough search of my kitchen, I found an ingredient that I knew would add something extra special to normal chocolate cookies: amaretto liqueur. The liqueur gives these super-chocolaty cookies a delicious nutty flavor. I will warn you that this recipe yields a surprising amount of cookies. I ended up with 60. Not that this is really a problem :-)

The Ultimate Reese's Cake

The Ultimate Reese’s Cake: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Icing, Covered in Reese’s Fudge

As promised in my birthday cake post, here is how you can make the amazingly epic Reese’s cake that I made for Lindsay’s birthday. I must warn you that a lot of ingredients and various steps go into this, but it is all SO worth it for the end product. I recommend reading through the entire recipe before starting, as I listed the ingredients under their parts of the cake, rather than all at the beginning of the recipe.

Spicy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Popsicles

Spicy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Popsicles

Months ago, I bought a Zoku popsicle maker. For those of you have not heard of this awesome contraption, it allows you to make popsicles in about 9 minutes. After first getting it, I experimented with it a few times, but since then it has really just been taking up freezer space. So, I decided it was time to put it to use again. Not being the hugest fan of fruit flavors, I grabbed a can of pumpkin from my pantry and with very few ingredients made this delicious treat! It's super easy to make, and super quick if you have a Zoku!

A Special Birthday Cake Edition

A Special Birthday Cake Edition 

Ever since making Lauren’s “21 cake” I have become semi-obsessed with making birthday cakes for my friends with their favorite candies and flavors. I have not posted many of these epic creations because there is so much involved in them that I do not always remember what all I put in them. Nevertheless, I wanted to share some of these cakes because I think what is really most exciting about them is all of the fun components, rather than the recipes themselves. 

Copycat Jim N Nicks Cheese Biscuits

Copycat Jim N Nicks Cheese Biscuits 

Yesterday, I tried Jim N Nicks cheese “biscuits” for the first time and they changed my life forever. Those quotations were necessary because these things are nothing like any other biscuit you’ve ever had. They’re more like cheesy cornbread with a biscuit-y top. I woke up this morning with an urge to bake, and decided to recreate them. As a first step, I examined several copycat recipes for them. I looked at every single website on my first page of Google search results and something very obvious struck me about all of these recipes. And that was that they were all wrong. Not one of them had cornmeal. I’m not sure how they all managed to miss this key ingredient, but not to worry, I have fixed this little error, combined some elements from various copycat recipes already out there, and added a few insights of my own. The result? Pretty darn delicious and quite close to what I tried last night at Jim N Nicks. 

 

Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Pancakes

Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Pancakes 

My inspiration for this recipe came from a recent brunch with two of my best friends from high school, Lakelyn and Tori, and their boyfriends, Christian and Thomas. Since I celebrate Christmas with movies and Chinese food, I’m always interested to hear about what Christmas is like for those who celebrate more…traditionally. My friends discussed how Christmas morning was the only day of the year that they were morning people, and how when they were younger they would often wake up really early on Christmas morning, only to have to wait for everyone else to wake up before opening presents. Thomas even mentioned one Christmas when he woke up at 2 AM and stayed up until 7AM, when his family opened presents, playing his Gameboy by the Christmas tree, anxiously waiting to open presents. 

Being a firm believer in food as a solution to (almost) all problems, I began to think about a Christmas breakfast treat to make the morning extra special, and to entertain those who wake up a little earlier than everyone else. 

White Chocolate Cheesecake-Filled Red Velvet Cookies

White Chocolate Cheesecake-Filled Red Velvet Cookies

 

Christmas time is here! Let’s face it: this time of the year was made for baking. It’s cold outside, there are tons of fun sprinkles and such in the grocery store, and there are enough cookie exchanges and ugly sweater parties to keep baked goods in high demand all season long. For baking bloggers like us, however, it means we need to step up our game. During the rest of the year, people are happy enough that we’re even making chocolate chip cookies, but when everybody and their moms are baking (quite literally), people expect something more from us, something that will stand out among the crowd. It’s a tough task, but who would we be if we weren’t ready for it?

Butterscotch Chai Cookies

Butterscotch Chai Cookies

Despite what the weather might suggest, we have reached that special point in the year that the Gregorian calendar likes to call “December.” This fateful month triggers a wide range of emotions for various people: excitement about spending the holidays with family, fear for the apocalypse on the 21st, or, for college students across the land: stress, stress, and more stress because finals are approaching. Everyone deals with stress in their own way. Some complain, some watch movies, others exercise or flee to remote places where they can escape their problems. I bake. A lot. Like more than usual. Last Friday, in order to de-stress, I decided to devote some time to my favorite pastime. I knew I wanted to make one thing I had made before and one new creation. So, in addition to my all-time favorite Red Velvet Mocha Brownies, I made these delightful and spicy butterscotch chai cookies.