Just about two years ago I innocently wrote a list post called The 50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet. In 24 hours it hit the first page of Digg, and stayed there. In the past two years I have found this list everywhere often with other people’s name on it…and I have also found some great links to it, which I appreciate.
This post is the one that I look at as being the pivotal post on Baking Delights, the one that turned the blog around and made it grow. I hope that, if  I linked to your blog in …read more

Coconut Cherry White Chocolate Bars are amazing. The bottom is a layer of  shortbread, followed by a gooey sweet layer of coconut, cherry and white chocolate and the thinnest of sugary, crispy crusts forms on top during baking.  Pure bliss. Pure richness. Best of all these, like all bar cookies, are  super easy and quick.

O.k..so it took me nearly all night but I did some baking. In fact this recipe is out of my cookbook….sort of. I found out something interesting tonight. I can’t even follow my OWN recipes verbatim.

I figure that the woman who invented blondies was a mom of many kids.  There she was, last few days of the month, children clamoring for something sweet and no chocolate to be had. What could she do? This brave woman had a choice.

She could throw her really cute red and white polka dot apron over her head and cry
She could create magic

I think she decided to create magic and threw ingredients together to make Blondies. You know why? These are the most versatile of bar cookies. I mean you can toss almost anything in there… well, within reason..I mean …read more

I know..most of you are too busy setting off firecrackers and partying around the pool to properly surf. No matter, the nice thing about the Internet is it is (usually)  here when you want it.
We generally have a huge 4th of July Picnic but this year Marc had to work and Erin and Jon had plans elsewhere. We will be going up to a picnic at our church later but for now? Very low key.
I made lemon butter bars to take to the picnic, and will be making a red, white, and blue heirloom potato salad using the Southwestern Potato …read more

These butter bars are a family favorite.  They are sweet, very sweet and very rich.  Most people can’t eat a lot of them, in fact many times I can only eat a bite or two.  My family thinks I haven’t trained hard enough, most of them are able to gobble down several.  Cut them small unless, like my family, your family has been in training.
This is one of the recipes from my cookie cookbook, Everything Cookies and Brownies. This is perfect for potlucks and bake sales and just when you want to do something easy.

Basically, you can add anything to …read more

This is a moist, dense, chewy dark chocolate brownie with a smoky-spicy-sweet raspberry swirl.  I would say it is a great combination but it is more than that. It is just so good.
The chipotle makes these have a little “bite ya back” in the after taste and the smoke flavor adds an interesting layer of flavor.  It sort of deepens the chocolate and gives it an extra layer and depth of flavor.

I hate being unprepared.
I notice that the more kids I have had, the bigger house I have had, the more projects I have going, the more I am unorganized. My family, as you know, has a combined sweet tooth the size of Vermont. Maybe bigger. Therefore, if I want there to be peace , joy, and happiness then something sweet, besides yours truly, had better be available round the clock. Yesterday when I got home from church I was struck by two important facts. One, it was later than usual, and two, I had failed to …read more

O.k..it is week 5 of the Christmas Cookie (and baking) Countdown! I know alot of people have commented on their blogs about how weird I am to be doing Christmas now. Yeah, I DO check my links.
That’s o.k…I have alot of Christmas to do, and my life is busy. Really busy. I will even be as bold to say that it is busier than most. Preparing for Christmas early allows me to have a peaceful, stress free holiday with my family, and to be generous with my gifts. I enjoy not having to …read more

Well, it is almost October. Most people are just now starting to think about the giant candy holiday coming up and it won’t occur to them that Christmas and Thanksgiving are just around the corner until Nov 5th or 6th. By then they will have to scramble to get done and we will be finishing up!
I suggest that you start picking up flour and sugar as you see it on sale now. You know that you are going to be using more than usual over the next few months so keep it in stock in large quantities. …read more

I had an exhausting day of shopping yesterday and ended up getting home late, stressed and ready to tell everyone that if grazing was good enough for the horses it was good enough for them. I hate being rushed, and i hate running late, and I really wanted to make a good meal since we had been having alot of Desperation Casserole lately.
I made the Chicken, Onion, and Potato Gratin and it was superb. Had I not been in such a hurry I would have made it to serve the next day so that the gratin could soak up …read more