Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Blondie-Topped Brownies

Today's theme: Brownies.

Tasty brownies from the rumored birthplace of the brownie: Chicago's Palmer House.

Possibly the best: the Baked Brownie.

Another good (different) brownie: Fat Witch Brownies.

Blondies? Brownies? Why decide? Blondie-topped brownies (pictured top)

Going blonde for a moment, here's an ode to the blondie.

And here's a recipe for blondies.

Like a crispie rather thank crisp edge? Try Frau Brownies.

POP! Goes the brownie.

Want to spice up your life? Ancho Pine Nut Brownies.

Brownie pie! Yesyesyesyesyes.

Brownie S'more pie: repeat yes-ing.

Have you ever eaten a brownie on a stick?

That's just nuts: nutella brownies!

Part brownie, part cookie, all delicious!

Another early brownie recipe: Lowney's brownies!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Hop to: Easter Egg Pops!

Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict!

Cadbury Creme Deviled Eggs!

Cadbury Creme Egg Foo Young!

Cadbury Creme Scrambled Eggs!

Interview with a Cadbury Creme Egg!

Cake Batter Buddies...let's be friends.

Weird cupcake flavors: delicious or disgusting?

A sweet necklace shaped like baking gear!

A sweet behind the scenes look at Payard!

Can croissants be sexy? Jay Friedman thinks so.

Bakery I wanna visit: Dominique Ansel.

An American classic: German Chocolate Cake.

Speaking of German Chocolate, here's a "moderately easy" recipe for an ice cream cake adaptation.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Image: FacebookBakery I wanna visit: Crescent Doughnuts.

Sweet! I met with CakeSpy enthusiasts who prove that "reading is totally sweet"!

Pecan pie cheesecake.

Cookies made of flour, that look like flowers! Seriously, you've got to see it to believe it.

Open Sesame Pie. Thanks for making me aware of this, Coconut & Lime!

15 easy and sweet desserts: thanks, the Kitchn!

A Milwaukee bakery with an interesting backstory.

Walnut Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream! YUM!

Fun times: enjoyable.  Funny Cake: Delicious!

Yum: Strawberries and cream cookie sandwiches!

Belles of the ball: Coconut belles.

Woot! CakeSpy on Gizmodo!

Sweet food art (OK, savory too--but all are adorable!)

Bakery I wanna visit: the Cravory (thanks, Caley!)

Million Dollar Baby: this year's Pillsbury Bake-off winning recipe, which won a million dollars!

Interesting: on the power of mediocrity of baking.

Mmmmmmmaple! Cookies, that is.

Cadbury Creme Egg Tarts!

Cadbury "Creme" Brulee!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

 

Cinnabunnies! See picture above.

Yeah, yeah. I made Cadbury Creme Egg Salad Sandwiches.

Educake-tion: A bakery designed with education in mind.

Rainbow connection cupcakes! All that's missing is a unicorn inside.

I want to eat this: chocolate malt cookies.

I also want to eat this: Cinnamon vanilla bean ice cream.

Marshmallow chocolate chip cornflake cookies: just crazy enough to be delicious!

Cutest cookies ever? Possibly.

Chocolates by Kelly. Deliciousness!

If you want to see a pretty Peeps cake...click here.

OMG! COOKIE BOWLS!

I want to be friends with these lemon cupcakes.

Coconut bliss milkshake. YUM!

Popovers! With dark chocolate Irish Cream sauce.

Milk chocolate layer cake: yes please.

I officially despise frozen yogurt, but this made me smile.

Interesting: have food blogs jumped the shark? 

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Whoa: those are not flowers! They're flour-and-sugar! 

Whoopie Pie Cake: this one's a beauty.

Lucky charm: trap a leprechaun with this cake!

Sweet memories: remember when I messed with all that Soda Bread? 

Sweet recycling: Turn your cupcake box into a laptop case!

SpyMom's favorite Irish Soda Bread recipe, though, I would not mess with.

Heaven: chocolate chip cheesecake bar cookies.

I don't know about you, but I prefer to eat my pie in slab form.

Short and stout: chocolate stout whiskey cupcakes recipe. 

Cadbury Creme Deviled Eggs. Tis the Season. 

Millet muffins: they're not as healthy as they sound (and I say that as a compliment).

Bakery I wanna visit: Alice Bakery.

Another bakery I wanna visit: Newman's Bakery, Swampscott, MA.

Two Fat Cats is changing ownership! Hope they keep the whoopie pie recipe the same.

Brownie pudding, anyone?

Peeps S'more ice cream pie. Yes.

Sweet art: Pantone themed fruit tarts.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Mac Attack!Spied at Karmavore Vegan: CakeSpy Mugs! (thanks, Charlotte!)

If you like it raw: Raw chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate...how to make modeling chocolate: a tutorial!

Need a cookie cutter? ANY kind of cookie cutter? Check out The Cookie Cutter Company!

If you missed this cake...well, you'll be sorry you did. Batter Belly Dough Cake!

Chocolate covered jelly beans of dramatic proportions!

DIY Sprinkles! 

Mmm, oreos coated in cookie. (thanks, Maggie!)

Just D'oh-nut: A roundup of holey treats in the Seattle area.

Chocolate cake bars. Le nom.

Amusing: Tart Toter (thanks Phil!)

My Minty Heaven: Misty Minty Peppermint Patty Cookies! (thanks, Robin!)

Sweet discovery: a blog that combines fashion and baked goods ideas.

Clever: a cupcake topper shaped like the Space Needle, using a macaron for the tower. (pictured top)

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Um, adorable! Lemon-shaped macarons.

Speaking of lemon...how 'bout lemon-flavored Yoda cookies?

I hope you didn't miss these cookie props!

Which girl scout cookie tastes best in a shake? Find out here.

Let's kiss: potato kisses!

Happy birthday...to Oreos!

mmm...homemade Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts!

Homemade Fig Newtons? Sweet!

Of course, everyone knows Fig Newtons are better when dipped in chocolate and put on a stick.

A cake fit for a princess, with cones for towers.

A puddle I'd like to jump into: fudge puddle cookies.

Pretty in pink: Battenberg Cake.

A different type of crab-cake!

Speaking of seaside cakes: here's a very cute one!

Breakfast, but sweet: blueberry oatmeal popovers!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

The best Valentine's Day present: MY BOOK.

A sweet slice of life--and pie history!

More sweet history, and a recipe: Calabrian Love Knots!

Totally sweet--homemade Conversation Hearts!

Chew on this: Al Dente blog loves my Conversation Hearts!

Let's spoon. I want a party spoon.

Spirited chocolate covered cherry milkshake...be still my beating heart!

Hello, delicious: Neapolitan Whoopie Pies!

Read about this heart-shaped cake I ate in Paris. Yeaaaah.

Sweets for your sweet: a Valentine's Day Cupcake Tutorial!

Cute: Crushed Conversation Heart Cookie Pops!

Conversation Heart Nanaimo Bars: they say "I love you", even though they don't have mouths.

Um, hi. Have we talked about Almond Blondies?

Sweet memories: Conversation Heart Cream Pie!

Cupcake Shops: Don't call yourself Sprinkles...unless you're Sprinkles.

Pop-tarts ice cream sandwiches: what true love tastes like.

Wine for your valentine: Red Wine Valentine cookies!

And finally, I promise this will make you smile.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

The Starbucks Effect: interesting to see the effect of Starbucks canceling a contract with a commercial bakery.

...and another account, different bakery, similar story.

Jubilee! Cherries Jubilee from Whipped the Blog.

Sweet history: Many interesting stories about sweets in History on a Plate by Eric Stanway

Why I bake my own birthday cake: a sweet recipe and essay on The Kitchn.

Dessert Wontons? I can dig it.

Watch your cupcake! TSA Cupcake Crackdown.

Slow but steady: Turtle Cake worth waiting for.

Whoopie! Whoopie pies find a sweet spot in Arizona.

Bread with chocolate and olive oil. Yum!

OMG! Sparkly rainbow Unicorn Poop cookies. Funny!

Bakery I wanna visit: Oh So Sweet Sugar Boutique in Surrey, BC

Interesting: The importance of Salt in sweets.

Trompe l'oeil cakes for the ages - thanks to Maggie of Serious Eats for sharing!

Hello, Sweetness: Meet Chichi fregi

Image: Paperblog.frI want to introduce you to my newest obsession, chichi fregi.

I know what you're thinking. Who or what on earth is chichi fregi?

Let me tell you.

Sort of like a churro but with an (arguably) cuter name, Chichifregi is defined by Glenn and Laura Halpin Rinsky's The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional as "A small fluted fritter made from yeast dough, deep-fried and rolled in sugar; a popular French street snack."

Or, as I translated from this web page (I love the slightly odd translation), they are "large donuts Provence, traditionally long and swollen, sweet and flavored with olive oil and orange blossom water. In Provence, they are tasted at fairs, at carnivals, and in the streets."

Based on some online sleuthing it seems that the chichi fregi is often served in a circle or spiral form.

It seems that the name has something to do with Garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Starting with the Latin cicer, we go to the French "chiche", referring to chickpeas, which at one time were a key ingredient in the dough made to make the fritters.

Either way, a sweet new friend for you to enjoy.

Find recipes for it here and here.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Image: Handcrafts and CookeryThe happiest birthday: look at this post about someone who baked the rainbow cake from my book!

Whoopie! Or...maybe don't be so jubilant about it, because according to this article, they're not the next big thing.

Still, The Miss Cupcake's whoopie pie bar idea is fantastic...bar none!

A funny article about baking holiday gifts in theory versus in practice.

Baking concept I love: Stolen Goods Bake Shop.

Sports star rejects cake, baker gets angry. Thanks for sharing, Lovely Confections!

LOVE this: Sponge Cake Samaritan.

Are you a Western Washington food blogger? OMG, enter this Girl Scout Cookie contest!

Mmm...Almond Biscotti. A Smitten Kitchen favorite, brought to my attention by Minty Fresh Design.

Are you a creative baker? Enter this cupcake contest for great prizes!

Who knew that there was an Arizona walnut? Who knew that they make for an awesome sticky bun?

Crafty cupcakes and artists: you might be interested in this upcoming craft conference, Craftcation!

Chocolate I wanna try: John & Kira's chocolate.

 

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

New year, new you! Instead of eating better, eat more butter. Let me help get you started:

Still one of my favorites: How to make a candy salad.

Breakfast of champions: Biscuits with sugar butter. Om nom nom.

Bump in the night: Bumpy Cake looks like a delight.

Cool! My site is now featured on Recipe.com's "Food Blogs we love".

A very sweet interview with a celebrity pastry chef on DessertBuzz!

Sad: the end of a kuchen era in Hebron, ND.

Angel Food, but not cake: Angel Biscuits, a story and recipe.

An oldie but goodie: Dreamy Donuts.

Ever heard of Trenary Toast? I hadn't either.

Delicious: Dulce de leche gelato. 

Things that have made me happy in the past: King Cake from Sucre in New Orleans.

Yum: Shirley Temple Cupcakes.

Sweet dishing: A fun interview on the Village Voice blog with the brains behind One Girl Cookies.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Totally sweet! My cookie recipe is featured on this iVillage holiday recipe roundup!

Mmm, cookies for breakfast.

Giant. Ornament. Cookie.

How did we get here? How we got to dessert, via the NY Times.

Newest obsession: Yakitate animations! (thanks Melissa and Joe!)

Aww, cute! Christmas bubblegum buddies.

Long live the queen--I mean, the Kouign--Amann, that is.

Ask me about baking! I am an expert in the Baileys Baking Q&A!

Rugelach: delicious all the time.

Red Velvet cheesecake: a festive holiday dessert from RecipeGirl!

Seeking a traditional Kringle? Check out O&H Danish Bakery!

Sweet times: my book was reviewed on Baking Style Diary!

mm, remember these Peppermint Nanaimo Bars?

Jell-o Mosaic Dessert bars: beautiful to behold.

Bacon Chocolate chip cookies: sweet and salty!

Don't forget: buy my book at Urban Outfitters!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

The cutest and sweetest hand mirror ever! Pictured above, available for purchase here.

Sweet gift idea: Maribelle Chocolates, decorated for Christmas!

Hundreds and thousands: Chuck Close style art, executed in sprinkles. (Thanks Molly for the tip!)

OMG! Millionaire's shortbread cake!

...or for traditionalists, Millionaire's shortbread.

Sweet times: take a gingerbread house making class at Starry Nights Catering in Kirkland!

Bakery I wanna visit: Liliha Bakery, Hawaii!

Sweets to ship: Bredenbeck's Bakery of Philadelphia will ship delicious treats to you or your friends for the holidays.

Crumb cake for a crowd. Or, for ME.

Cranberry-pistachio candy squares. Someone make these for me, please and now!

Hazelnut-olive oil shortbread? Sign me up.

Cookie headphones? I want cookie headphones. (thanks, Margaret!)

Mm, PieJars. Thanks, Christa!

I'm naughty. Or at least my book is, according to Oregon Live.

...and Sara Bir expands on my naughtiness and sugar-filled life here.

The sweet scene in Honolulu: a great article!

Spice up your life! Black pepper cookies.

Sweet reminder: have you entered the "So You Wanna Be a CakeSpy?" contest yet?

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Sweet! I was featured in the Bake and Destroy Gift Guide!

Sweet and a little dark: Dead Man's Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

Mmm...Macaron-athon. Check out this map of NYC macaron-eries! Thanks Love n Bake for the tip!

Mac Attack! Lilli-Pilli, A macaron business to check out in Seattle...

Twisted Butters makes flavored butters both sweet and savory. BUTTER.

Holy cannoli! A totally sweet interview on Dessert Buzz.

Pumpkin biscuits with candied ginger? Be still my beating heart.

Sweets I want to eat: Cloud 9 Confections.

Sweet snowballs: I love these moldy mice cookies.

Quoi? Echaudes a l'anis sound pretty delicious.

Cupcakes on Cape Cod...an interesting article! By my cousin, Emma Bleiler!

Fake-out: every now and again I proudly look at this trompe l'oeil sweet dinner party I threw.

On the off chance you missed my TV appearance...here's the link again!

Interesting: a 60 Minutes segment on taste-makers (um, literal taste-makers)

Om nom nom: Gingerbread cupcakes topped with M+Ms!

Sweet December: A Baker's Dozen of Holiday Cookie Recipes

Berlinerkranser!Thanksgiving's over, and you know what that means: it's Holiday Cookie Season. Here's a baker's dozen of some of my favorite cookie recipes to start the season off with a sugary sparkle.

Snowy Snickerdoodles!

Mint Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies!


Candy Cane Cookies!Cinnamon Stars from Bredenbeck's Bakery!Mint Candy Butter Cookies!Homemade Thin Mints!

Peppernuts!
Eggnog Nanaimo Bars!Moldy Mice!

Jan Hagel!
Peppermint Nanaimo Bars!Gingerbread Mad Men!...and of course, if you have leftovers, you could always make some cookie croutons! Happy Cookie Season, everyone!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Got Thanksgiving leftovers? I gots Ideas.

...and I have sweet ideas too. These bar cookies are delicious! The Patch agrees.

Apple pie, always. Via HeartSoulFlour!

Baltimore is totally sweet! But don't take my word for it, read it here.

Cookies Across America! A very cool (and sweet) campaign by Allrecipes.com!

Sweet roses: a gorgeous rose cake and a sweet story.

News: food science club prepares pies. Wait. FOOD SCIENCE CLUB!? Can I join?

Bakery I wanna visit: Gourdough's, Austin, TX

Now that's cute: Cake pops with little scarves.

I find these historic dinners fascinating, but mostly, I want to try the dessert.

You say Nanaimo: Cranberry Chocolate Nanaimo bars are still delicious after Thanksgiving.

Sweet! My book was featured in The Oregonian's Gift Guide!

Good Place to Buy My Book: Elliott Bay Books, Seattle.